Hi, and welcome to my blog!
I’m Anna Chaplin and I'm a management trainee on the Fast Track Talent Programme (FTTP) for XPO Logistics (formerly Norbert Dentressangle). The FTTPis a graduate programme which provides opportunities for future managers to learn and develop through four placements, over two years. I have been on the FTTP since July 2014 and have experienced two fantastic opportunities to work within different areas of the business. My first placement was based in Bradford where I worked on a major contract as an operational analyst for a leading high street retailer. During my time at Bradford I had the unique opportunity to see the early stages of a large warehouse automation project from the design phase. My second placement was in Salford on the new contract for online retailer Missguided. I was heavily involved in overseeing the transfer and integration of colleagues from Missguided to Norbert Dentressangle. In July I begin my third placement on the scheme in a completely different environment. I'll be working in Tanzania with XPO Logistics' longtime corporate charity, Transaid. About Transaid Transaid aims to improve road safety in Sub-Saharan Africa, where road crashes kill an estimated 1.3 million people each year. it's their belief they can do this through improving road conditions and infrastructure, together with better training for professional trainers - which is where I come in! I'll spend six months at the National Institute of Transport (NIT) in Tanzania's capital, Dar Es Salaam, where I'll assit with the delivery of the Professional Driver Training Programme. Transaid has a presence in multiple African countries and an aim to improve road safety. Transaid currently operate in Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, to list a few. The quality of the required driver training and the existing transport infrastructure, are significant contributing factors to the amount of associated road deaths across Africa. Transaid has partnered with training centres in Tanzania and Zambia and is implementing a programme to build the capacity and capability of the centres to deliver quality training. Through educating driver trainers, who will in turn train commercial drivers, they will improve road safety standards and reduce fatalities. Over 4,000 people have received training since January 2009, when Norbert Dentressangle - and now XPO Logistics - became involved with the training. Transaid is also currently highly focused on improving access to maternal healthcare for people in rural areas across Africa. They currently have programmes established in in Zambia, Malawi and Madagascar providing services varying from; bicycle ambulances, ox and donkey carts, motorcycle ambulances, and boats. It's estimated that 75% of maternal deaths could be avoided with better emergency transport and access to healthcare for pregnant women and newborn children. |